Halo: Glasslands

The Covenant has collapsed after a long, brutal war that saw billions slaughtered on Earth and her colonies. For the first time in decades, however, peace finally seems possible. But though the fighting's stopped, the war is far from over: it's just gone underground. The UNSC's feared and secretive Office of Naval Intelligence recruits Kilo-Five, a team of ODSTs, a Spartan, and a diabolical AI to accelerate the Sangheili insurrection.

Halo: Cryptum: Book One of the Forerunner Saga

Fully 100,000 years ago, the galaxy was populated by a great variety of beings. But one species - eons beyond all others in both technology and knowledge - achieved dominance. They ruled in peace but met opposition with quick and brutal effectiveness. They were the Forerunners - the keepers of the Mantle, the next stage of life in the Universe’s Living Time. And then they vanished. This is their story.

Gears of War: Aspho Fields

As kids, the three of them were inseparable; as soldiers, they were torn apart. Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago fought alongside Dom's elder brother Carlos at Aspho Fields in the epic battle that changed the course of the Pendulum Wars. There's a new war to fight now, a war for mankind's very survival. But while the last human stronghold on Sera braces itself for another onslaught from the Locust Horde, ghosts come back to haunt Marcus and Dom.

Mass Effect™ Andromeda: Nexus Uprising

They slept for hundreds of years, dreaming of a new home in the Andromeda galaxy. When finally they awake, their dreams of peace are shattered. These colonists - turian, salarian, asari, human, and more - face an uncharted galaxy and threats beyond understanding.

HALO: Legacy of Onyx

Molly Patel was only seven years old when the alien alliance known as the Covenant destroyed her homeworld and killed her family. As one of the few to escape the glassing of Paris IV, and despite the United Nations Space Command winning the war on behalf of humanity, Molly never forgot how much she had lost. Nine years later, when her adoptive parents - research scientists specializing in ancient Forerunner technology - are called to the mysterious and wondrous place known as Onyx, Molly vehemently objects.

Mass Effect: Revelation

After discovering a cache of Prothean technology on Mars in 2148, humanity is spreading to the stars---the newest interstellar species, struggling to carve out its place in the greater galactic community. On the edge of colonized space, ship commander and Alliance war hero David Anderson investigates the remains of a top secret military research station---smoking ruins littered with bodies and unanswered questions. Who attacked this post, and for what purpose?

Bioshock: Rapture: Bioshock, Book 1

It was the end of World War II. FDR's New Deal had redefined American politics. Taxes were at an all-time high. The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had created a fear of total annihilation. The rise of secret government agencies and sanctions on business had many watching their backs. America's sense of freedom was diminishing... and many were desperate to take that freedom back.

Columbus Day: Expeditionary Force, Book 1

The Ruhar hit us on Columbus Day. There we were, innocently drifting along the cosmos on our little blue marble, like the Native Americans in 1492. Over the horizon came ships of a technologically advanced, aggressive culture, and BAM! There went the good old days, when humans got killed only by each other. So, Columbus Day. It fits. When the morning sky twinkled again, this time with Kristang starships jumping in to hammer the Ruhar, we thought we were saved.

Starcraft II: Heaven's Devils

For the poor, hardworking citizens of the Confederacy's fringe worlds, the Guild Wars have exacted a huge toll. Swayed by the promise of financial rewards, a new batch of recruits joins the fight. Eighteen-year-old Jim Raynor, full of testosterone and eager to make things right at home, ships off to boot camp and finds his footing on the battlefield, but he soon discovers that the official mission is not what he's really fighting for.

StarCraft: Evolution

After nearly a decade of brutal warfare, three mighty factions - the enigmatic Protoss, the savage Zerg, and the Terrans, humanity's descendants in the sector - have entered a cease-fire, but the peace is tenuous at best. When the sudden restoration of an incinerated planet is brought to light, tensions erupt. Neutrality swings back to hostility, and old enemies are accused of developing biological weapons to reignite the bitter conflict.

Metro 2033

The year is 2033. The world has been reduced to rubble. Humanity is nearly extinct and the half-destroyed cities have become uninhabitable through radiation. Beyond their boundaries, they say, lie endless burned-out deserts and the remains of splintered forests. Survivors still remember the past greatness of humankind, but the last remains of civilisation have already become a distant memory. Man has handed over stewardship of the earth to new life-forms.

We Are Legion (We Are Bob): Bobiverse, Book 1

Bob Johansson has just sold his software company and is looking forward to a life of leisure. There are places to go, books to read, and movies to watch. So it's a little unfair when he gets himself killed crossing the street. Bob wakes up a century later to find that corpsicles have been declared to be without rights, and he is now the property of the state. He has been uploaded into computer hardware and is slated to be the controlling AI in an interstellar probe looking for habitable planets.

Publisher's Summary

Wars end. But hatred, guilt, and devotion can endure beyond the grave.

With the Covenant War over, the Office of Naval Intelligence faces old grievances rising again to threaten Earth. The angry, bitter colonies, still with scores to settle from the insurrection put on hold for thirty years, now want justice and so does a man whose life was torn apart by ONI when his daughter was abducted for the SPARTANII program. Black ops squad KiloFive find their loyalties tested beyond breaking point when the father of their Spartan comrade, still searching for the truth about her disappearance, prepares to glass Earth's cities to get an answer. How far will KiloFive go to stop him? And will he be able to live with the truth when he finds it? The painful answer lies with a man long dead, and a conscience that still survives in the most unlikely, undiscovered place.

Halo: Mortal Dictata finalizes a story arc that may be the most interesting outside the standard Halo series you'll find in the games. While the games have been enjoyable, the rich universe set up and explored by these authors, Traviss especially, breathes depth and sheds a different light on an otherwise standard game shooter.

Mortal Dictata gives you a sense of completion with the Kilo Five Trilogy, while still leaving it open to more. Euan Morton returns for another fantastic performance. His vocal range for each character not only is constistant throughout the book, it matches those of Glasslands and The Thursday War.

I would definitely consider a listen. I think its a great listen regardless if you are a die hard fan or new to the series.

If you could sum up Halo: Mortal Dictata in three words, what would they be?

Loss. Family. Reunion.

Who was your favorite character and why?

BB the A.I. is my favorite character in this book, although there are quite a few. This little twerp of an artificial intelligence visually represents himself as a black cube, setting an ominous and threatening overtone to his personality from the get-go. In this book he is witty, fun, likable and even slightly insecure as he works through his losses and the ultimate gift of self-awareness, knowing your own mortality.

In this book: some people do some stuff, and there are even a couple Spartans. But for the most part, they talk and think about how Halsey is the devil and Hitler incarnate in the same package (not an exaggeration), and gleefully discuss the various ways to terminate her. The storyline itself was not too bad, nor was the writing. But it really just kinda read like fanfic from someone who hated Halsey. Not even a "Hey thanks for saving humanity btw." It just doesn't fit well with the rest of the Halo universe, in my opinion. The narrator, on the other hand, did a very enjoyable job.

All of the characters are fleshed out in a manner that you have feeling about all of them. Good and bad. Love how the book also reveals unknown facts about the Halo universe that makes things so clear going back to the very beginning, the first Book about Halo.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Can't say just one. Love BB. Arrogant AI who thinks he is the smartest thing in the universe, but still is mistified by the how and why of the humans around him. Yet continually shows his human origin. Love OSDs, Naomi, Oz, .. all of them.

What about Euan Morton’s performance did you like?

Excellent injection of emotion and urgency. Great variances of voices when speaking as different characters. He pulled you further into an already great story.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

If you are a fan of the HALO series.. not just this series but the whole universe, this book is a must read along with the previous two. This one is the icing on the cake. It some ways it closes some chapters, but it also opens the door to other possibilities. Remember, there is something out there that was alive before the Forerunners. We could gain their notice again and we are not ready.

Yes I would recommend it. Why, because it wraps up the story lines for the trilogy and answers some questions that I still had after reading other Halo books such as Reach.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Halo: Mortal Dictata?

The teacher, I can't say more but that and the epilogue were my favorite parts.

What about Euan Morton’s performance did you like?

For me the narrator of a series is second only to the story Euan's performance was wonderful as soon as the intro music was over and he started to speak I was back in the Halo universe. His ability to bring each of these characters to life.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I cried and I laughed Traviss did a wonderful job with this book.

Any additional comments?

Being a junkie for expanded universes both this and Star Wars I really like learning all I can about the backstory and the possibility for more books. This book does both of those things.

Where does Halo: Mortal Dictata rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Definitely one of the best if not the best Halo books I've listened to. Karen Traviss explores a much different side of the Halo universe and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's somewhat less military and action and more about the characters and their development. I would love to see another Kilo-Five trilogy with these characters.

What other book might you compare Halo: Mortal Dictata to and why?

It's different than the other Halo books, even the previous ones in this trilogy. I'm not sure what I would compare it to.

Have you listened to any of Euan Morton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Euan Morton is very talented and I really enjoyed his performance. His character differentiation was fantastic and his accents were believable.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I don't want to give much away but there are moments with Staffan Sentzke that were really quite emotional for me. I can't relate to his arms dealing empire, but the family stuff was real to me.

Any additional comments?

I suspect some reviewers are put off by the Halsey dialogue because they are in denial or can't relate to the characters. I'll admit I was as well with the first two novels, but this book makes the argument much more convincing. Some of the characters do focus heavily on Halsey as the one person responsible but Karen Traviss makes it clear that was not the case. She's not even ambiguous about it. There's even a suggestion that in certain cases, what she did was for the best.

If you could sum up Halo: Mortal Dictata in three words, what would they be?

How would you feel if your child or sibling be taken to become a spartan?

What was one of the most memorable moments of Halo: Mortal Dictata?

This book is one of the Halo top story arks. Not only bringing more to light about the Spartan project but how it would affect people around them.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The ending of this book is grate.

Any additional comments?

If you love Halo then you will love this book.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Anonymous

9/14/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"Fantastic "

Kilo five trilogy was fantastic, I love the voice actor. He said some words different but overall his performance was brilliant. I really felt like each character was a different person would highly recommend whether or not you are a fan of the halo games

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

daniel

5/7/17

Overall

"review"

Great addition to the halo series telling another previously untold tale well worth buying to add to tour collection.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Tommy Malcherczyk

4/4/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"loved it!"

i have listened to a few halo audio books but the kilo five series is the best so far. just make sure you listen to them in order. the characters are full of personality and the story is gripping

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Tanaka Bonde

8/26/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"one of the most interesting premises in the series"

What made the experience of listening to Halo: Mortal Dictata the most enjoyable?

The premise and main story is very interesting as you truly wish for this father and daughter to reunite and there are multiple other parties involved that complicate the stor and make it more complex than the other novels.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

omething about the voice actor made it a bit difficult to listen to, mainly the way he tried to speak as the famela characters and how weak it sounded, even during more intense action scenes.

Any additional comments?

the ending is weak and there isnt enough action, mainly longy, deep philosophical conversations about a complex situation which is approached from a biased angle, they could've done more with such a unique premise but it was still godd.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

david

7/16/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"YES"

Almost cried when I wasn't laughing or enthralled by imaginary and action. I couldn't stop listening to it I pushed every bus journey to one more stop to hear a little more.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Luke Rea

5/25/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Yet another great story and brilliant narration"

All of the halo titles have been exciting few has been bit weak but mortal dictata being part 3 of the kilo five is exciting loved every minute of it and the narration by Euan Morton was superb!!

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

majinwillie

5/23/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Great narration"

Euan Morton is very good. It's a pity he isn't reading the newer books in the series. He really brings all the characters to life

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Gavin

Galway, Ireland

4/2/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"Enjoyable, yet lacking."

Would you listen to Halo: Mortal Dictata again? Why?

Yes I'd listen to mortal dictata again. I'm a big fan of Halo lore and while I don't approve of the direction that Karen traviss has taken the lore, I can appreciate that she does write a very good cloak and dagger novel

What was one of the most memorable moments of Halo: Mortal Dictata?

Without giving much away probably the revelation about one of the main characters at the end of the book. It was a surprise to me and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

What about Euan Morton’s performance did you like?

He's got a very engaging voice, calm yet assertive and he managed the voices extremely well, so much so that his voices for these characters is all I hear when Ii think of them now.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, given previous experience with the halo novels I listened to this in one long sitting.

Any additional comments?

This book is enjoyable, however I dislike the direction that the lore has taken with the spartan II's and I also dislike Traviss' way of portraying certain characters, particularly Osman, Halsey, and Parangosky. Halsey seems to lack all of the brilliance of the previous books, and instead has become a prattling joke. Osman's main plot point is a huge piece of contradiction, where she hates Halsey for indoctrinating the spartans, yet that is exactly what has been done to her. Parangosky is the main contradiction, she plays halsey as the war criminal, yet ignores the damage that a character such as Ackerson also caused as head of the Spartan III program. All in all the book is enjoyable though I do hope Karen Traviss is finished with Halo.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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